NTT DoCoMo and Apple have reached an impasse in their negotiations to bring the iPhone to the Japanese company’s cell network over what many see as bloatware. Apple refuses to allow carriers to add their own apps to the combo iPod and smartphone’s operating system, and that’s exactly what NTT DoCoMo wants to do, according to the Wall Street Journal.
NTT DoCoMo: Not getting the Apple Love
Ever since the original iPhone was released Apple has made it clear that it won’t allow carriers to include their own apps as part of the default iOS installation, which is a major departure from other mobile phone makers. Apple also refuses carriers to add their own branding to the iPhone.
For NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest carrier, locking its own apps to the iPhone is a big deal. The company bundles its e-wallet electronic payement and i-mode email apps on the phones it sells, and it can’t do that with Apple’s smartphone.
The carrier also isn’t happy with Apple’s expectation that its iPhone partners commit to large purchase volumes. “If the introduction of the iPhone results in the mass majority of our products occupied by the iPhone, then that’s a scenario that’s difficult to us to swallow,” said NTT DoCoMo CEO Ryuji Yamada.
Striking a deal would add even more potential iPhone customers in Japan for Apple, and would finally let NTT DoCoMo sell the popular smartphone. Apple isn’t, however, desperate for Japanese carriers since it already sells the iPhone through Softbank and KDDI.
Despite the stumbling blocks, Mr. Yamada is still trying to make a deal come together. We haven’t given up our hope of introducing the iPhone,” he said.